A Comparison Study of Chinese and Pāli Texts of the Poṭṭhapādā Sutra

This article compares the Poṭṭhapāda Sutra (In this paper, the term “sutra” will be used, as it is more familiar in English, instead of italicizing “sutta” (the standard for Pāli texts) or “sūtra” (the standard for Sanskrit)) from the Pāli Dīgha-nikāya (DN) with its parallel in the Chinese Dīrgha-āgama (DA) to explore the challenges of interpreting the intended messages of early Buddhist teachings and understanding their original context. While previous studies have compared these texts, this paper goes further by examining how the differences between the Pāli DN and the Chinese DA affect our understanding of early Buddhist doctrines. This paper uses the four approaches of textual criticism to compare the similarities and differences between various texts and to analyze the evidence for assessing their reliability as sources. The research found that examining the similarities and differences between the Chinese DA and the Pāli DN exemplifies the necessity for a detailed exegetical analysis of the texts in different languages and locations, as they do not always convey the same content. In this case, this raises the question of whether we have truly achieved an accurate understanding of Buddhist concepts and storytelling, such as the “summit of perception.” Are the spheres of neither perception nor non-perception stages added or omitted? Can the cessation of perception occur multiple times? This study demonstrates that the significant differences between the Pāli and Chinese versions offer crucial insights into how Buddhist teachings were transmitted and developed over time. By providing a detailed comparative analysis, this research shows that exploring these differences enhances our understanding of the original messages of the sutras, the early Buddhist context, and the reasons for the discrepancies.